I just did a letter fic myself (of course that too is a genre now, huh?) so was very interested in this--I love that their lives are so normal and that they stay connected. Also I can live with the no-Ron scenario, but now you have to tell us what he's up to!

I think you've captured the voice of an 11-year-old girl in her first week at boarding school perfectly! (I've been one, so I know.) Of course she repeats herself but there are subtle changes depending on who she's writing to, and she talks about what is first and foremost in her mind; it's just like she's scribbling stuff down in a hurry before she's off to the next thing, so it's not going to be a studied critique of her classes. So there! Now write some more!

Author's Response: Thank you so much :) I've never been to boarding school so this was quite difficult to write but I imagined it would be a lot like letters from summer camp haha. And yes, I will write some more. Not of this fic but I have a HUGE novel in progress right now so stay tuned ;) ~Cassie

Author's Response: Thank you so much :) I've never been to boarding school so this was quite difficult to write but I imagined it would be a lot like letters from summer camp haha. And yes, I will write some more. Not of this fic but I have a HUGE novel in progress right now so stay tuned ;) ~Cassie

What an astonishing achievement--in the scope of this thing you answer so many other questions, like how Mr. and Mrs. Granger interact with the wizards, and how Hermione left things with Krum. I haven't read the whole thing yet but I will (who needs housework anyway?). As much as I liked this my favourite parts are the disclaimers!

Author's Response: Thanks for reading and reviewing! I'm glad you are enjoying it so far! Yeah, I tried to tie up loose ends and Hermione's parents kind of fascinate me (hoping Pottermore will eventually answer some questions on that note) so all that stuff ended up in there. No one needs housework. That is why they invented house cleaning robots. Haha, thank you. I am a bit prouder of them than I probably should be :)

Summary: Fleur Delacour's beauty has its benefits, doesn't it? So why is she attending the Yule Ball with Roger Davis, and not the boy she might actually like? For some reason, Cedric Diggory cannot see beneath that perfect smile of hers; cannot tell that she is so much more than that.

I liked the focus on Fleur as a person, not quite as arrogant as she's painted. I like that she becomes aware of the shortcomings of her attitude towards boys. I like that she doesn't get to have Cedric. But mostly I liked your style of writing. I like that you didn't go overboard with Fleur's accent; just enough to remind us what she sounds like. I like that when she's confused about her feelings she wishes she was home with her family. I like 'his words fluttered away from her like startled moths.' I like the snake of jealousy that tightens its hold on her heart. So basically I liked it!

Author's Response: Aw thank you! I'm glad you liked it - you picked up on so many small things, so thank you for paying suck close attention and giving great feedback :)

Brilliant use of free verse. Perfect for the confusion that's in her mind; realistic too. So many parts of this I could quote back to you, but mostly it just rings true. I've had the experience of a mother not being able to convey if she knows who you are, and your poem seems to me a good guess as to what's going on. I also am interested in this because I wrote a little thing including Neville's parents and I think yours is more realistic!

Author's Response: Thanks for reviewing! I wanted to convey Alice's loss without having her entirely understand that she has lost something. This poem went through a lot of drafting! I'm glad you think it is realistic, and I'm sorry to hear about your experience. I know it is difficult to watch a loved one slowly declining; I saw this happen to my grandma. I guess it is something many people can connect to.

Summary: There are stories everywhere. Some reveal themselves to their characters, but most do not.

One story goes like this: Once upon a time, there were two children, a boy and a girl, who were best friends. The boy had grown up in the cold, and he fell in love with the girl’s bright warmth; he cared more about her than anything in the world. Yet fate rejected them, and one day, without meaning to, the boy shattered their friendship forever. He tried to apologize, but it was too late. He had been swallowed back into bitter iciness, while the girl remained in the light of the sun.

Yet the girl does not know all this. She only knows of the turning point in the story, the hurt the boy has caused her, the reason she would not forgive him.

These are Lily’s words to Severus at the turning point in their story.

Ok stop it now; channelling Shakespeare through JKR? You're spooky good. I especially like "Thy icy voice betrayeth not a whit/Of warmth or care; it hath a callous tone." I like your comments too, that Lily gets to live in warmth but Snape must live in the cold.

Author's Response: Thanks! The summary took about as long to draft as the poem took to write (though not edit), actually--although that was because I originally wrote the poem as non-FF in like 15 minutes, lol.

Summary: Bellatrix rejoices after she murders Sirius. Yet the curious fact remains that Bellatrix murdered her hated cousin not with the green killing curse, but a strange red flash. Appearances, choices, and morality are never black-or-white, not even within the notoriously immoral soul of Bellatrix Lestrange.

What a great idea. Bellatrix has to have depths beyond what JK Rowling gave her (duh, they all do, right? Otherwise we wouldn't be doing what we do!). But I like that she's only human for a moment and it's Sirius that is the personification of that humanity.

Author's Response: Glad to hear you liked this story. And yeah, I didn't want to have a "and then Bellatrix sees the light and stops killing people!" finale. She is still a Death Eater and she is still completely devoted to Voldemort. But even the most "evil" characters, with perhaps the exception of Voldy-Shorts himself, aren't entirely evil. They're still humans. I'm glad that came through. Thanks for leaving a review!

Ok, I officially love everything you've written so far; and I do not say that lightly. You have a real facility with words and descriptions and dialogue; really it's a pleasure to read. And you taught me something at the same time! I was so happy to see Neville displaying his knowledge; we spend too much time talking about how bad he is at everything (until the end of course). Will be favouriting you forthwith. :)

Author's Response: My goodness! Thank you...now I am wishing I had Luna's ability to figure out what to say to compliments! And it makes me happy to know that the math/botany was comprehensible; it was difficult to convey through words because it's all so visual. So it's great to hear that it made sense to you.

Summary: Marlene McKinnon was raised in a care home from the age of seven. As she grows up, she comes to know and fall in love with Jamal Olawumi, a boy with as many secrets as she has. But Jamal is a Muggle, and telling him anything about Marlene's real world would jeopardise the Statute of Secrecy. So when, in a fit of anger and hurt, he spills out his deepest secrets to her, can she find it in her to reciprocate, or does she care too much for her magical reputation?This is babewithbrains of Ravenclaw writing for the 2013 Great Hall Cotillion.Jamal Olawumi has been nominated for a 2013 Quicksilver Quill Award: Best Original Character. Woot! :D

Author's Response: Thank youuuuu! Yeah, there is a lot of rather complicated backstory to Jamal that I didn't even know existed until a couple of days ago, lol. I'm glad you enjoyed this story and thank you for the review :)